Canisius falls to UNLV despite Baron’s 30

Canisius failed to make it two road upsets in a row as a career night by senior Billy Baron wasn’t enough to prevent the Golden Griffins from dropping an 89-74 decision to No. 21 UNLV late Saturday night at the Thomas & Mack Center in Las Vegas.

Baron poured in 30 points, including 18 on 5-of-8 shooting during the first half. The Griffs trailed, 46-39, at halftime.

Canisius (8-3) shot nearly 45 percent from three-point range and 40.3 percent from the floor overall but settled for too many outside shots and didn’t get to the line too often, according to coach Jim Baron. After making 16-of-18 free throws in Wednesday’s win at Temple, the Griffs went 7 of 8 from the line Saturday night. While they shot well from three, they only had 12 assists as a team, half the number the Runnin’ Rebels (11-1) finished with. Billy Baron dished out six assists.

San Diego State pulled ahead for good during a seven-point run that included five straight points from Tapley. With less than five minutes to play, Tapley drove to the basket and was stopped by Jake Odum, who was called for an excessive foul. Tapley made two free throws and a quick three-pointer on the ensuing possession, giving the Aztecs a 51-44 lead.